Kuala lumpur: Malaysia, along with member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), is advocating for reforms to the veto power held by the five permanent members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, stated Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Foreign Minister highlighted that resolutions concerning the Gaza issue, despite gaining majority support in the UN General Assembly, often face implementation delays due to the veto power exercised by the permanent members of the UN Security Council, which include China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

“Unfortunately, this veto power was used even though the resolution was unanimously approved at the UN General Assembly,” Mohamad Hasan remarked during a question and answer session at the Dewan Rakyat. He emphasized the need to overhaul and change the veto power, reflecting the ongoing efforts by Malaysia and ASEAN.

The Foreign Minister’s comments were in response to a supplementary question posed by Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman (PN-Kuala Krai) regarding Wisma Putra’s actions following the ASEAN-GCC Summit resolution that addressed the actions of the Zionist regime.

Mohamad Hasan further explained that the recent ASEAN-GCC Summit demonstrated Malaysian diplomacy’s effectiveness, resulting in a joint statement on the Gaza issue for the first time. He noted the previous challenges in achieving a unified statement among ASEAN countries, highlighting the success of the recent summit and additional collaborative efforts, including a joint conference with Japan and Korea to discuss the situation in Gaza.

He reaffirmed Malaysia’s active role in strengthening cooperation with like-minded countries to consistently voice its stance on the Gaza issue at the international level.